Draw-bridge gate



(No Model.)

W; HANEY DRAW'BRIDGE GATE.

Patented-Apr. 2, 1889.

llllll II N. PETERS, HwQwLihngnpher. Washington. D. Q

UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM HANEY, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

DRAW-BRIDGE GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,672, dated April 2,1889.

Application filed Ha 21, 1888- Serial No. 274,470. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- Be it known. that 1, WILLIAM HANEY, of NewHaven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, havevinvented a new Improvement in Draw-Bridge Gates; and I do hereby declarethe following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings andthe letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of thisspecification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a top or plan view of the bridge, showing the draw in the openposition; Fig.

' 2, an under side view of the same, looking up,

showing the draw closed; Fig. 3, a side view, the draw in the closedposition; Fig. 4, an end view of the approach, looking from the drawside, the lever E removed to show the connection between the levers andthe gate; Fig. 5, a modification in the arrangement of the levers D andE; Fig. 6, the yielding device in the gate-connection enlarged.

This invention relates to mechanism combined with a swingingdraw-bridge, having for its object to automatically open and close thegate at the entrance onto the bridge as the bridge is closed or opened,and to do this whether the bridge be swung in one direction or theother; and the invention consists in the combination of devices, ashereinafter described, and particularly recited in the claims.

A represents the bridge, which is hung so as to swing in a horizontalplane upon a center, a.

B represents that portion of the bridge or abutment which forms theapproach to the draw, the bridge being represented as open to navigationin Fig. 1 and as closed to same in Fig. 2.

D and E represent two levers hung upon pivots h at their outer endsbeneath the part B, and preferably so as to swing in a horizontal plane,the levers extending toward each other and meeting midway of the widthof the bridge and so that they normally stand in an oblique position,their inner or free ends inclining toward the draw.

On the draw or turning portion of the bridge a projection of somecharacter is made, which moves in a path corresponding to the plane ofthe levers D E. As here represented, this projection is in the form of alongitudinally sliding bar, F, supported in suitable guides, G, upon theunderside of the draw and carrying at its outer end a roller, H, whichas the bridge swings to the right or left is adapted to work against thecorresponding edges of the levers D E.

In rear of the levers D E a slide, I, is arranged in guidesJ J in acentral position, and so as to slide longitudinally toward and from thesaid levers l) E. The said slide carries two rollers, K L, which work,respectively, against the rear side of the said levers D E, and so thata forced swinging movement imparted to said levers D E, as from theposition in Fig. 1 to that in Fig. 2, will impart a corresp0nding rearmovement to the slide I, or the levers moved in the opposite direction,as from the position in Fig. 2 to that in Fig. 1, the slide will followthe said levers. V

M represents the gate, which is preferably in the form of a bar, hungupon a pivot, N, so as to swing in a vertical plane, as from the closedposition in Fig. l to the open position in broken lines, same figure,the closed posi tion being across the bridge in the usual manner forswinging bar-gates. From the gate a chain or cord, 0, runs aroundsuitable guides and is connected to the slide 1, as at P, and so thatthe weight of the gate tends to impart a movement of the slide I towardthe said levers D E, and as the gate closes, the levers D E being free,the slide will force the said levers forward toward the draw, asrepresented in Fig. 1. Consequently as the lovers D E are forced in theopposite direction as to the position seen in Fig. 2 they will impart acorresponding retreat to the slide I, which will operate upon the gateto raise it to the open position.

As the bridge is closed to navigation and normally, the operative end ofthe bar F bears against the two levers D E, as seen in Fig. 2 whichcauses the slide 1 to stand in its retreating position and hold the gatesuspended in the open position; but as the bridge is turned to the rightor left the working end of the bar F passes from the levers D E, leavingthem free, whereupon the weight of the gate is permitted to act, and thegate, dropping, will force the slide I forward and force the lovers D Etoward the draw, as represented in Fig. 1. Then as the draw is returnedthe working end of the bar F will strike the lever I) or E, according tothe direction in which the bridge is closed, and, riding upon itsoblique surface, will force that lever inward,and the said lever,operating upon the slide I, as before described, will raise the gate.

The two levers I) E are each provided with a counterbalancing-weight, R,the tendency of which is to draw them backward when the slide I permitssuch movement. This counterbalaneing is desirable, because as the bridgecloses it operates upon one of the levers only. The counter-balance,therefore, will force the other lever to follow the slide I as itretreats, the counter-balance of the two levers being very much less inweight than that of the gate, so that they form very little resistanceto the descent of the gate when the slide I is free to move.

It will be seen that under the arrangement of the two levers I) E thebridge may be opened or closed in either direction, to the right orleft. (losingin one direction, it will operate upon one lover, I), andclosing from the other direction will operate upon the other lever, Il,and the draw being provided at both ends with a like projection tooperate against the levers, the bridge may be rotated entirely around,so as to change ends, and yet the result be the same.

I prefer to make the projection from the draw which operates upon thelever D E in the form of a slide, so that the gate may be mechanicallyopened or closed, whether the draw itself be rotated or not. To this enda horizontal lever, S, is arranged beneath the draw so as to swing in ahorizontal plane upon a pivot, '1. One arm of. the lever is inconnection with the bar F, and from the other arm a rod or othersuit-able eonnection,U, extends to one arm of a hand-lever, \V,hung at aconvenient point in the bridgesay, at the center, at one side, asrepresented in Fig. 3and so that the lever may be turned upon its pivot,as indicated in broken lines, Fig. and impart a sliding movement of thebar F toward the lovers D E, which will force those levers and the slideI to retreat, as represented in Fig. 2, and the bar F may be withdrawn,as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 9, which will permit the levers D Eto swing toward the center and permit the gate to drop, so that ifoccasion requires the gate may be closed when the bridge is closed, or,the bar F being with drawn, as indicated in broken lines, Fig. 2, theopening or closing of the bridge will not operate to open the gate.

I have thus far described the levers as arranged to swing in ahorizontal plane, and so that a longitudinal projection on the draw willoperate upon them, but the lovers may be arranged so as to swingin avertical plane, as seen iirFig. In this case the inclination of thelevers is upward toward the center,

and the projection upon the draw will operate in a vertical plane ridingupon the upper 1nclined surface of the lovers in opening and closing, IIrepresenting the same roller on the draw as it. comes into engagementwlth or leaves the lovers, as the case may be, the movement of thelovers being indcated H1 broken lines. In this case, as in the firstillustration, it is desirable that the connection between the gate andthe slide shall be of a yielding character. To this end 1 nitroduce aspring in the chain or cord wlnch connects the gate with the slide orlevers, as the case may be. This spring isbest made 1n the form of ahelical spring, as seen at (I, Fig. 4, and shown enlarged in Fig. 6.

Through the spring two spindles, cf, extend, the one (2 provided with across-head, g, at one end to rest against that end of the spring, andthe other provided with a like cross-head, 7!, to rest against the otherend of the spring, and to the other ends of the said spindles,respectively, the cords or chains are connected, so that the strainbetween the gate and its operative mechanism is made through the spring,the normal condition of the spring being suliicient to support the gate;but should the strain become greater then the spring will be contractedunder the influence of the two spindles thereon in opposite directions,and when this extraordina 'y force is removed the spindle will resumeits normal position. Thus theconnection will be of a yielding character,yet always sufiiciently taut to operate the gate.

I claim 1. In a draw-bridge in which the draw is arranged to swing in ahorizontal plane, the combination of the levers D E, hung upon pivotsbeneath the approach to the draw, so as to swing in a horizontal plane,but inclined toward the draw, a longitudinal slide, I, arranged in rearof said levers, and upon which both the said levers are adapted to bear,a gate over the approach with a connection therefrom to said slide I, alongitudinal central slide, F, beneath the draw, so as to form aprojection in the plane of the said levers D E, and so as to work uponthe inclined surface of one of said levers as the draw opens or closes,a hand-lever hung at a stationary point on the draw, and a connectiontherefrom to said slide F, substantially as described, and whereby theprojection of the said slide F maybe forced into or taken fromengagement with said levers.

In a draw-bridge in which the draw is arranged to rotate in a horizontalplane, the combination therewith of the two levers 'D E, arranged uponthe approach to the draw, hung upon pivots at their outer end andinclined toward the center of the bridge, where the free ends of thelever substantially meet, a projection on the draw arranged to work in apath in the plane of said levers I) E as the d raw opens or closes, averl ically-moving gate IIO located 011 the approach to the draw, and aing movement to said gate, with a yielding connection fronl said gate tosaid levers, subspring in the connection between the gate stantially asdescribed, and whereby as the and said levers, substantially asdescribed. bridge swings in either direction it will oper- 5 ate uponone of said levers, according to the Witnesses:

direction in which the said bridge swings, CHAS. A. HANEY, and impart acorresponding opening or clos- FRED G. EARLE.

\VM. HANEY.

